


Cookie Jar

by zhyixingie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grocery Store, Cat/Human Hybrids, Grocery Store, Halloween, Hybrids, I started writing this back during KoKoBop, M/M, Piercings, Sehun has a bunch of tattoos, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 14:49:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16020170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhyixingie/pseuds/zhyixingie
Summary: Summer was beginning to drain into a chilly autumn where the store was again filled with non-high school student workers until the afternoon, and it was mostly dead besides little old ladies during the week. This also apparently meant Junmyeon wearing turtlenecks underneath his uniform.“He’s too adorable,” Sehun groaned into his hands.In which Sehun is a butcher and Junmyeon works in the bakery of a grocery store.





	Cookie Jar

**Author's Note:**

> SOOOOOOOOOO it's been a while. Hello, hi, how are you, idk if anyone remembers me, but I write stories here sometimes, hello.
> 
> Yeah this I literally started LAST SUMMER and this past year was my first year as an English major and all my motivation to write was sucked out of me by the dozens of essays I was writing. But I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy!

Sehun had never seen a hybrid with a job before.

               Of course, he also really liked his part time job at the local grocery store because of the very reason that they were amazing with who they hired. No one was ever denied a job there base on race, sexuality, disability, amount of tattoos (for Sehun; a lot) or amount of piercings (again, Sehun had a lot), so he probably shouldn’t have been shocked to see the new boy walking around with adorable fluffy ears and an even fluffier tail.

              Sehun was a butcher, which, surprisingly, he had come to really love. It was a simple, quiet job, with not many people in the department and not having to talk to customers very often. He was able to just chill in a back room with a bunch of meat and spend his hours mind numbingly chopping up cuts to put into packages and then put out for customers to take. It was a simple existence, but it was a good paying job for a college kid.

               “Have you seen the new guy?”

               Sehun glanced up with a raise eyebrow at Minseok – his manager, who talked probably half as much as even Sehun. The short man was strangely adorable even with his sleeves of tattoos peeking out from under his butcher’s smock. “No, I haven’t,” Sehun shook his head, setting down his knife to wipe his hands off on his front. “Who is he?”

               “They just hired him in the bakery,” Minseok hummed, glancing in the general direction that he was talking about. “He’s a _hybrid_.” Sehun blinked in surprise.

               “Really? Huh,” he shrugged, “good for him. It’s hard for them to get hired.”

               “It’s _impossible_ ,” Minseok corrected. “The law hasn’t been passed yet that they can be independent and hold hired positions – I’ve told you how Luhan has been trying to get a job since I adopted him and hasn’t been able to… so I’m wondering what’s so special about this guy.”

               “Maybe he’s someone’s pet,” Sehun shrugged. “Maybe he’s not actually getting paid and they just let him walk around and work to stay busy.”

               “Maybe,” Minseok mumbled noncommittally before walking away. Sehun put it to the back of his mind and went back to what he was doing.

               He saw the boy a little while later when he walked over to the meat department looking sheepish. Sehun quickly pulled off his gloves, grabbing a fresh pair as he walked over, and nodded in greeting. “Can I help you?” He wasn’t sure why the boy would be asking for some special order, but it was protocol for Sehun to ask.

               The boy was fucking _adorable_.

               He was small, probably as short as Minseok if not a bit smaller, with large, fluffy platinum blonde ears settled on top of his head that Sehun seriously wanted to reach over and pet. He was clutching his puffed up, fluffy white and grey tail in his hands nervously, and he was staring at Sehun with large brown eyes. He was dressed in the typical bakery uniform of a baby blue shirt (which totally complimented his almost-white fur) with black pants and an apron that made him look like a little housewife (Sehun had to hold back a coo). The boy couldn’t have been much older than Sehun, but, it was always difficult to tell in a grocery store since there was every from high school kids up to elderly workers. But, if Sehun believed at love at first sight, he probably would have said he loved this kid.

               “C-Can I…” the boy trailed off, refusing to look Sehun in the eye. “The… my manager asked me to get more plastic wrap? He said you guys have some in the back?” he said everything like he was questioning himself and was twisting his tail so hard in his hands, Sehun thought it must have hurt. He chuckled quietly to himself before nodding with a small smile.

               “Yeah, sure, no problem,” he hummed before turning to grab what the boy asked for. He handed it over across the desk and tried to smile at the boy who flinched when he looked at Sehun’s face. “Have a wonderful day,” Sehun said cheerily. The boy bowed quickly at him before scurrying off.

This could definitely make work fun.

 

               When Sehun worked a few days later, he saw the boy again, working diligently behind the bakery counter with oven mitts on his hands and grabbing things that had been cooking. Sehun sniffed the air and decided he could definitely grab a cookie before going into the back. He swung around and made the detour to the bakery section and saw the “free cookies” jar that customers definitely thought was for them, but, in reality was actually for the workers to get a quick sweet fix. “Hello there,” Sehun called in greeting as he opened the jar and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. The hybrid jumped a foot in the air and nearly dropped the pan he was holding.

               “Oh,” the hybrid gasped and quickly bowed. “Hello, Hyung, good morning!”

               “How are you today?” Sehun hummed, procrastinating.

               “I-I’m good,” the boy blushed, bowing again. Sehun couldn’t hold back his chuckles.

               “I didn’t get your name the other day,” he said, pointing at the boy. “You’re not wearing a nametag.”

               The boy looked down at his apron and looked baffled, as though his nametag had run away when he wasn’t looking. He glanced around before racing over to a table and clipped on a little white square that announced “Hello, my name is JUNMYEON!” Sehun grinned at such a cute name. “I-I’m sorry, I’m still new, I k-keep forgetting to put it on,” the boy – Junmyeon – stuttered.

               “That’s okay,” Sehun laughed. “So, does your owner work here?”

               Junmyeon looked confused at his question before blushing brightly. “Uh… yeah… he’s one of the owners of the company,” he muttered. “Well, my owner isn’t him – but his daughter, and she went away to college and couldn’t bring me… so he said I couldn’t just sit around in the house all day.”

               “Ah,” Sehun nodded slowly, beginning to wonder about Junmyeon and what type of hybrid he was. There seemed to be three types – hybrids who really were just pets, usually for a family with young kids; hybrids who were servants who were bought to clean and cook rather than hiring a maid since hybrids didn’t legally need to be paid; and hybrids who were fucktoys, who, well, were bought for sex. Sehun was happy to hear that Junmyeon didn’t seem to be one of those if he was bought for the store owner’s young daughter.

               “C-Can I help you… with anything?” Junmyeon asked after a moment of Sehun standing there chewing his cookie. Sehun quickly shook his head and smiled.

               “No, no,” he said. “I’ll be going to my own work – have a nice day.” Junmyeon just nodded and waved as Sehun turned on his heel and disappeared into the back room.

               Over the next few weeks, Sehun became hyperaware of the little kitty hybrid.

               The boy seemed to be an errand boy as well as a worker, seeing as whenever he had a spare second he was being yelled at to go grab something or go talk to someone. Sehun watched as he darted around the store, grabbing flour or packages or running to talk to managers who barely looked at him when he talked. Sehun always tried to wave a greeting or smile at the boy as he frantically tried to make everyone happy, but the cat could barely spare him a ‘hello’ before having to run off.

               Sehun pouted as Junmyeon ran off, not even acknowledging that Sehun had waved at him.

               “What’s got you upset, Mr. Pouty-pants?”

               Sehun glared at Baekhyun who was grinning at him and just beginning to pull on his smock and wash his hands for the day. “The new guy is so cute,” Sehun whined as he sat back in his chair and groaned, glaring at the ceiling.

               “Who?” Baekhyun blinked, dropping into a rolly chair and wheeling over to him. “The cute tall cashier guy? Cause I totally feel you – but, hey, you can ask Minseok, I called dibs on him back when he was still walking around at orientation.”

               “Wha-? No,” Sehun shook his head. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. I mean the hybrid boy in the bakery.”

               “Oh,” Baekhyun drawled, leaning back in his chair and looking toward the bakery that they could just see from their back room. “He’s cute, but like, in the way a cat or a puppy is cute – not like… _human_ cute.”

               “No, he’s definitely cute,” Sehun groaned.

               “Well, now I know Sehunnie’s type,” Baekhyun grinned, reaching over and ruffling his black hair. Sehun slapped his hands away. “I feel like you would terrify that poor boy,” Baekhyun laughed.

               “What do you mean?” Sehun glared.

               “You’re a little terrifying,” Baekhyun giggled. “Your face is always so…” Baekhyun scowled and pulled his eyebrows in close in an exaggerated imitation of Sehun’s resting bitch face. “And all your tats and piercings? The kid probably thinks you’d eat him.”

               “Everyone around here has tats and piercings,” Sehun argued.

               “Minseok’s are hidden, Jongin’s are tiny and Jongdae and I only have ear piercings,” Baekhyun pointed out. “You’re all… freaky in the face,” Baekhyun motioned to his eyebrow and lip piercings. Sehun scowled, he didn’t really think the tattoos crawling over his hands and fingers and his facial piercings and ear gauges were really _that_ terrifying. “But, I mean, if you like him so much, just ask him out,” the little redhead shrugged.

               “Can I?” Sehun blinked. “Isn’t there some weird protocol for hybrids?”

               “Oh,” Baekhyun tapped his chin as he thought. “Do you know who his owner is?”

               “Yeah,” Sehun grumbled, “the store owner.”

               “Ouch,” Baekhyun laughed. “I think you’d have to ask him ahead of time or it could be seen as like, touching what’s not yours? Invading on property?” the redhead shrugged.

               “I hate that,” Sehun spat, glaring at nothing. “They shouldn’t be treated like dirt.”

               “Yeah, yeah,” Baekhyun waved him off.

              

               Sehun was a master at procrastinating.

               Summer was beginning to drain into a chilly autumn where the store was again filled with non-high school student workers until the afternoon, and it was mostly dead besides little old ladies during the week. This also apparently meant Junmyeon wearing _turtlenecks_ underneath his uniform.

               “He’s too adorable,” Sehun groaned into his hands.

               They hadn’t had a customer come up to them all day, so he and Jongdae had been chilling in the back room for the majority of their shift. Sehun had taken a few too many random strolls past the bakery and grabbed way too many cookies to be subtle, but Junmyeon still just bowed at him and raced away to his busy work. “You’re even worse than Baek,” Jongdae sighed as he picked underneath his nails for lack of anything better to do. “Even he jumped on that new cashier boy he was eyeing – and he hates initiating.”

               “Don’t compare me to him,” Sehun glared. “He’s a cradle robber.”

               “Hey, that kid looks older than your little hybrid boy,” Jongdae laughed.

               “Yeah, but he’s literally a high schooler.”

               “I’m pretty sure he graduated,” Jongdae hummed. “I think he’s a college kid now.”

               “Same thing,” Sehun sighed, leaning back in his chair and massaging his temples. “I can’t do much about this. Baek said I’d have to talk to his owner first, and like hell I’m gonna ask the owner of the store if I can ask out his pet.”

               “Psh, what could possibly go wrong?” Jongdae said sarcastically. “You always go for way too difficult of people.”

               “No I don’t,” Sehun whined.

               “Oh yeah? Remember Kyungsoo? The kid who worked up front?”

               “I thought we agreed never to bring that up.”

               “You pulled my hand,” Jongdae shrugged.

               “But this is so much worse,” Sehun scowled.

               “True,” the smaller nodded.

               “What if I just do it?” Sehun asked, standing up suddenly.

               “You could probably get in a lot of trouble,” Jongdae pointed out.

               Sehun flopped back down and glared at his coworker who was giving him a cat-like smile. “Why do you always have to bring me down?”

               “Just gotta keep you rooted to earth.”

 

               By the time it was Halloween, Sehun had given up.

               “I’ll just die alone,” he whined at Jongin who was actually doing his job for some unknown reason. The brunette glanced up with a raised eyebrow from the steak he was cutting for the display case.

               “Is this still about the hybrid guy?” He asked, wandering over to the case to put out the meat; it was, like the rest of the store, cutely decorated with miniature pumpkins, chocolates and stickers of bats and witch’s hats. Sehun was only a little envious that other members of the staff were allowed to be out of uniform for the weeks leading up to the holiday if they wanted to wear oranges, blacks or little costumes. For the meat guys, it was always the same blood-stained white smocks.

               “Who else would it be about?” He sighed.

               “Did you see him today?” Jongin asked.

               Sehun raised his eye, frowning slightly. “No?”

               “He’s wearing a costume, it’s kinda funny,” Jongin giggled, glancing in the direction of the bakery.

               Sehun would _not_ go get a cookie to check

               They were chocolate chip cookies and Junmyeon was in fact dressed up and it was in fact kind of funny.

               The little blond hybrid had pinned down his real cat ears and tucked away his real tail to be able to wear little devil horns and a fake red strip of cloth with a point on the end. It somehow matched his adorable features, and he had made sure to wear a red turtleneck underneath his apron too.

               “Good morning, Sehun Hyung!”

               Sehun nearly jumped at the voice and realized he had definitely been standing there with a cookie half raised to his mouth for a few dozen seconds too long. Junmyeon was smiling and waving at him. “Oh, good morning,” Sehun choked. “I like your costume.”

               “Thank you,” Junmyeon grinned like Sehun had just handed him the sun. He reached up and touched the little devil horns, “I thought it would be cute.”

               “Very cute,” Sehun said before he really thought about the words.

               “Are you going to dress up?” Junmyeon questioned, stepping away from where he was packaging cupcakes to lean against the display case that separated them.

               “Not allowed,” Sehun sighed, motioning to the smock he had on. “We have to be covered when we’re working.”

               “That’s too bad,” Junmyeon pouted.

               Sehun figured it would be the end of that conversation (which, was pretty A+ compared to most of their interactions), but instead he found himself watching Junmyeon reaching up to his head and plucking the devil horns from his hair. The small hybrid suddenly reached over the case and obviously was struggling even on his tippy toes, so Sehun quickly bowed his head so he could put them on him. “There you go!” Junmyeon said, clapping his hands together. Sehun straightened them slightly and smiled.

               “But this is your costume.”

               “It looks much better on you!” Junmyeon said quickly. “You can keep it!”

               Okay, maybe Sehun shouldn’t give up just yet.

 

               “What if _he_ asked _me_ out?”

               Minseok stared at him for what would have been a creepily long few seconds, except for the fact that he always thought about what he said before he started talking. “Do you actually think he would do that?”

               “I mean,” Sehun threw his hands up in the air. “I’m a great catch!”

               “Sure,” Minseok deadpanned.

               “Would I get in trouble still if it was him?” Sehun asked again.

               “Maybe,” Minseok tilted his head as he thought for another few moments. “If he did it without getting permission first, then yeah, he would probably get in trouble since most hybrids don’t have the freedom to date. But, if he got permission then I don’t see why there would be any issues.”

               “Now you just gotta make little hybrid boy fall in love with you,” Baek cooed from where he had just walked into the back room. He walked over and pinched Sehun’s cheek, getting a smacked hand for his trouble.

               “He has a name.”

               “Yeah, yeah,” Baekhyun waved him off (again). “You should do it soon so you can bring him to my Halloween party.”

               “Oh god,” Sehun groaned. “You’re having another one of those?”

               “Of course!” Baekhyun cried. “I have to do something to show off my hot new boyfriend to everyone!”

               “So it’s official?” Minseok questioned.

               “Yup,” Baekhyun giggled, whipping out his phone and showing them a facebook screen that announced ‘Byun Baekhyun is now in a relationship with Park Chanyeol.’

               “Wow, it’s on facebook, it’s gotta be real,” Sehun rolled his eyes.

               “Get hybrid boy to like you so you can bring him,” Baekhyun repeated, ignoring Sehun and depositing his phone in his pocket again.

               “Yeah, you’re a catch, remember?” Minseok patted his shoulder.

               Sehun needed new friends.

              

               Sehun had no idea why people suddenly started buying expensive cuts of meats around Halloween. He understood, Christmas, Thanksgiving, even Easter and other holidays like those – but why Halloween? Whose cooking up a big, extravagant Halloween dinner? Halloween was for eating way too much candy until your stomach hurt – not Angus sirloin cuts of steak. He hadn’t gotten a moment to even think for himself the entire day before October 31 because of how many customers were coming up asking for cuts of meat or asking stupid questions that he really didn’t feel like answering but he had to because it was his job or something.

               It was nearly the end of his shift when the crowd simmered and he had a moment to breathe and sit down. Even Baekhyun looked drained, and he usually _liked_ talking to customers. Sehun glanced at the phone time and sighed in contentment at being able to leave in just a few minutes when yet another person walked up to the case. Sehun had to reigned in a way-too-loud, annoyed groaned.

               “Sehun?”

               He glanced up in surprise to see Junmyeon standing there fiddling with his tail awkwardly, off to the side of the case rather than standing right in front of it. Sehun glanced over at Baekhyun who looked confused and shrugged at him. Sehun jumped to his feet and trailed over to the hybrid. “What’s up?” He asked slowly.

               “I was just…” Junmyeon trailed off. Sehun couldn’t help staring at how cute his pudgy cheeks looked when they were pink. “I was… I was wondering what you were up to tomorrow… for Halloween?”

               “Oh,” Sehun thought for a moment. “I think I’m going to a party.”

               “You mean you _are_ going to a party!” Baekhyun shrieked behind him.

               “Oh,” Junmyeon deflated, refusing to look Sehun in the eye.

               “Why?” Sehun asked.

               “I was… going to ask if you want to hang out or something,” he mumbled. “My owner said I can have the day off tomorrow because of the holiday since the store is closed… So I wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch – or something.”

               Was Junmyeon trying to ask him out?

               Sehun stared at him with his mouth opening and closing for a few seconds too long.

               “It’s dumb, never mind,” Junmyeon said suddenly, dropping his tail he had been wringing between his fists. “I don’t know why I thought you’d want to hang out with a hybrid – just forget I ever came over here. I’m sorry.”

               “Wait,” Sehun gasped just as Junmyeon was turning away. “Are you trying to ask me on a date?”

               Sehun didn’t think the cat’s cheeks could get any redder – he was sure he could see the flush all the way up to his platinum white ears. “I…”

               “He’ll go!” Baekhyun yelled from behind Sehun, running up to them. “He’ll go out to lunch with you as long as you’re his date to my party!” 

               “A party?” he asked warily. “I’m not sure about a party…”

               “It’ll be super fun!”

               “Uhm,” Jun looked to Sehun helplessly.

               “I’ll go to lunch with you,” he answered dumbly, feeling like his tongue was too big for his mouth. “We can decide about the party afterward?”

               “O-Okay,” the hybrid nodded before turning away again.

               “Wait! I don’t know how to contact you,” Sehun called after him quickly.

              

               Sehun had no idea how he managed to actually have Junmyeon’s number in his phone that night and he was actually texting the hybrid about their date the next day. He felt like a giddy school girl where he laid on his bed, staring at the three little dots announcing that the other was typing to him. They had decided to go to a Japanese restaurant that was pretty close to the store, so they both knew where it was, and were trying to decide on a time. Sehun had said he doubted he’d be up before noon when he didn’t have to, while Jun said he was always up early.

**To: Sehun**

**From: Jun**

_What about 1:30 in front of the restaurant? v(^_ _∀^*)_

**To: Junmyeon**

**From: Sehun**

_That works for me!_

**To: Sehun**

**From: Jun**

_I can’t wait (_ _／_ _≧_ _ω_ _＼) I’m so happy you said yes (_ _〃ω〃)_

 

The amount of adorable emojis the other boy used usually would have given Sehun a toothache, but because it was Jun it just made Sehun giggle and hug a pillow closer to his chest.

 

**To: Junmyeon**

**From: Sehun**

_Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been trying to ask you out since you started working!_

**To: Sehun**

**From: Jun**

_Really??!!?_ _⊙０⊙ I’m so shy it took me forever to work up the courage!! (_ _〃．．)_

**To: Junmyeon**

**From: Sehun**

_You’re cute :)_

**To: Sehun**

**From: Jun**

_I’ll text you tomorrow to make sure you’re awake in time~~ {*_ _≧_ _∀_ _≦}_

               Sehun grinned at his phone before placing it on his bedside table. How could this have possibly worked out so perfectly? You never heard stories of people liking someone and then that other person actually asking them out – that’s just insane. Sehun couldn’t believe his luck, and couldn’t believe how much of a middle school student he still felt like at being liked back by his crush. Junmyeon was just too adorable, Sehun couldn’t wait to get to talk to him more than just their little conversations over the cookie jar.


End file.
